


We Are (The Poisoned Youth)

by WinnieTherPooh



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Bus Kids - Freeform, Platonic Relationships, War AU, Will update tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 12:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14080455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinnieTherPooh/pseuds/WinnieTherPooh
Summary: The world is at war, divided between SHIELD and Hydra. Fitz, Jemma, and Skye are a trio of best friends, whose work for SHIELD suddenly becomes important when one of them is sent behind enemy lines.





	We Are (The Poisoned Youth)

**Author's Note:**

> The title is taken from Centuries by Fall Out Boy. All credit to their songwriting. Chapter title is from Immortals (also by Fall Out Boy).

“Drinks are on me tonight, kiddos.” Skye slid into the booth with Fitz and Simmons, teasingly showing the top of a bottle in her backpack. “Fitz’s room, nobody’s watching him.”

“Where’d you get that?” Fitz reached across the table and pulled at it. “And what is it?”

“Don’t ask. It’s better if you don’t know. It’s just beer anyway.” Skye slapped Fitz’s hand away and zipped up the backpack. “Simmons, don’t give me that look. You know you want it.”

“I know I want you to stay out of trouble and on this base.” Simmons poked at her salad. “I want you to be safe, Skye.”

“Oh come on, don’t be such a spoilsport. I’m not going to get in trouble. They don’t really care about that stuff, DC just wants to put up a good show.”

“Oh, do I?” Skye jumped at Director Coulson’s voice at the end of the table. “What isn’t going to get you in trouble?”

“Nothing, sir. No trouble for us, sir. We are trouble free, well-behaved, order-obeying SHIELD agents. Fighting the good fight sir, not getting into any trouble whatsoever.” Skye saluted as Coulson laughed.

“All right, Agent Skye. I’m sure I won’t be hearing of any misbehavior on your part tonight with whatever’s in your backpack.” Coulson raised his eyebrows.

“How did you-what qualifies as misbehavior, sir?” Simmons sighed as Skye continued to prod the director. 

“If you aren’t seen, and I don’t hear about it, it’s off the record.” Coulson’s tone changed. “Agent Fitz, if you would come with me, please.”

“Aww, but we’ve only gotten to talk to you for a moment. We never get to see you now, DC.” Skye’s complaining trailed off when she saw the seriousness on Coulson’s face.

“Yes, sir.” Fitz slid out of the booth, whispering to the girls, “Don’t start until I get back.”

* * *

 

“Hey, Fitz! You’re later than we thought, but we’ve only had one each without you-hey, Fitz. What’s wrong?” Simmons slapped Skye across the arm.

“Fitz? What’s the matter? What did Coulson say? Oh, Fitz, is it your mum?” Fitz sank down onto the edge of the bed, Simmons next to his shoulder in a second.

“No, it’s not my mum. They’re sending me behind the lines.” The announcement dampened even Skye.

“Oh, Leo.” Jemma sat back on the bed, stunned. “When?”

“Day after tomorrow.” Fitz ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s very sudden.”

“Well, that leaves us tonight.” Skye’s voice broke for just a second. “To Fitz, the bravest man here.” She raised her bottle high, smacking Fitz gently on the side of the head. “Dry your eyes, you big baby. Tonight’s for drinking and telling stories and not leaving this pod because May is dying to give me another write up.” Despite her cheery words, Skye’s eyes showed the same glistening as Fitz and Simmons. “So drink up, me hearties, yo ho.”

Fitz laughed and took the outstretched beer. “I can’t drink too much. I probably should be coherent tomorrow.”

“I’m not a moron, Fitz. We’re not going to get drunk, just take a few sips and forget that there’s an army of murderous Nazis out there trying to kick our asses.”

“Right. Like any amount of beer is going to make me forget that I’m a few days away from wearing their uniform.”

“Fitz, you can’t tell us about the mission.” Jemma, still reasonable with a beer in her hand. “It’ll put you in danger.”

“To hell with the danger.” Fitz took a swig of the beer. “I didn’t think I’d be so scared, honestly. I mean, this organization is built on spying. I knew I’d get called up to do more than just design tech eventually. I just didn’t think it’d be so soon. It feels so real all of a sudden. We’re not just remotely blowing shit up from our underground bunker. It’s real.”

“The day it gets real. The day we say goodbye to one of our own.” Skye sighed dramatically and continued in an atrocious accent. “Fare Thee Well, Fitzy my lad. May we see you on the other side.”

“Stop it, Skye, that’s hardly helpful.” Jemma sniffed, rubbing her nose on her sweater. “I’m upset enough already.”

“Besides, we still have tonight and tomorrow, though Coulson knows if I’ll get to see you. It’s not really the last day yet.” 

“Did you just replace god with Coulson?” Skye asked, snorting with laughter.

Fitz snickered. “Rather clever of me, I think, considering as he directs our lives and basically decides if we live or die.”

Skye convulsed, ignoring Jemma’s glare. “Are you going to tell your mom?”

“No, it’d only upset her. And I want her to be safe and the less she knows the safer she is. Jemma, if anything happens-Jems, are you mad?”

Jemma had wrapped her arms around a pillow, making herself smaller against the wall of Fitz’s little pod. She sniffled again. “I’m not mad. It’s just that you’re treating it so lightly and joking and I can’t joke about this. You’re my best friend, and you have been for years, and I can’t just laugh about you being in danger.”

“Jemma, if you think for a second that I don’t care about Fitz going off to war, you don’t know me.” Skye took Jemma’s hand. “I’m just trying to laugh about it because otherwise I’ll cry.”

Fitz sighed. “Jemma, it’s not a joke. It’s just about the scariest thing I’ve had to face. And I have to do it by myself, and I won’t even have you and Skye. So yeah, I’m laughing but I’m bloody scared.”

Jemma nodded. “You’ll be out there doing the real work of the war while I’m stuck in a bloody lab.”

“Out of danger. You’re doing real work, and it’s better anyway. One of us has to make it out of this, because somebody has to talk to the other’s parents.” Fitz stared into his bottle. 

“Too dark, Fitz.” Skye warned hastily, swallowing the last of her drink to avoid crying.

“Don’t talk like that.” Jemma grabbed Fitz’s drink and took a sip. “All three of us are going to make it out of here, right as rain, and we’re going to move on and live stupidly successful lives.”

“You wanted me to be serious, Jems, and now I’m serious. If something happens to me out there, you’ve got to tell my mum. She knows you, and it’ll be easier for her. Don’t let her find out with some strange officer from SHIELD, please.”

“All right, all right.” Jemma sighed. “And now can you please go back to the stupidity? I don’t actually want you to be serious anymore.”

“One of you has to promise.” Fitz insisted. I can’t even bring a picture of her behind the lines. Nothing. You have to promise that one of you will tell her.”

“We promise, Fitz.” Jemma rubbed her sleeve across her face in a failing attempt to hide her tears. “Of course we promise. But you’re going to make it, okay? We’re going to win, and you’ll come back and you’ll be alive and nobody will talk to anybody’s parents.” She reached her hand across the bed, rubbing Fitz’s shoulder. “We’ll make it out.”

“Here’s to Fitz, the bravest man in this room.” Skye raised her bottle again. “And our best friend.”

“You said that already.” Fitz grouched. “And you made it worse.”

“Fine,” Skye whined, “Here’s to the day we stopped being kids, and this war dropped into our underground bunker. Better?”

“No, but I’ll drink to that.” Fitz clinked bottles with her, and even Jemma reluctantly joined in. 

“What are you even going to do?” Skye asked, wishing she had swiped another bottle. “Design them out of existence? Did you even pass your field exam?”

“Yes, I did, I’ll have you know. Ward’s been working with me. And no, I’m not going to design anything for them. I’m going to blow it all up. Leopold Fitz is going to kick some Nazi ass.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Jemma tapped her bottle against his head. “Let’s remember tonight.”


End file.
